The Price of Our Love
by Ashe Xander
Summary: Sawamura Daichi is an investigator in the CCG. Sugawara Koushi is a caregiver at the local daycare. Two lives that completely contrasted each other, yet somehow the two met. Sparks fly, but not all is as sweet and romantic as it seems. Secrets are kept, lives are lost, and hearts are crushed in a tale of love and agony. Is love worth the hefty price that naturally comes with it?


**_Disclaimer:_** _Haikyuu! and Tokyo Ghoul, and all characters and corresponding attributes, belong exclusively to Haruichi Furudate and Ishida Sui respectively. No profit will be made from this story. This story is entirely fictional, and_ _any relation to any real life events is purely coincidental. Additionally, this story is rated M for mature, and will contain graphic scenes, adult language, and male x male relationships. Reader discretion is advised._

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 ** _Chapter 1 - Of Ghouls and Scored Dates_**

Summertime was always the roughest time of the year. The air was much too warm and stuffy, even in the evenings, making the standard trench coats nearly unbearable. Kids were out of school for the break, and so families stayed out late into the night enjoying the time they had before exams and homework began again. This would have been fine, summertime would be much more tolerable, if not for one thing: ghouls. Summer months were peak season for the flesh-eating humanoid beings. There was more prey available, creating more favorable odds for the likes of the much more out of control binge eaters. But everything had a price.

Being that ghouls became much more active and bold during summer evenings, those whose sworn duty was protecting the lives of humanity were required to keep pace in the ever-raging battle to quell the seemingly never-ending threat. The Commission of Counter Ghoul, better known as the CCG, have branches spread out all over the world in an attempt to combat these ferocious devils in human skin. Summer for them meant extensive overtime and twenty-four-hour rotations to keep up with the flood of incident reports. Every night in summer was a tough fight on both sides of this endless war, tonight was one such night for a particular investigator.

Sawamura Daichi – age 23, one of the youngest to attain the rank of Senior Investigator in the Miyagi branch of the CCG – let out a deep sigh as he retracted his quinque into its briefcase. He looked down at the now lifeless body of the ghoul he had been tracking for quite some time now, running a hand through short black hair. "That was much less informative than I thought it'd be… Ukai-san's not gonna be too pleased about this." He pulled out his phone, contacting nearby investigators for cleanup and transport of the body back to the labs. At least they could maybe harvest the kagune for the formation of a new quinque. The ghoul seemed to have a decent amount of RC cells for the type of kagune he wielded, so there could be some profit there.

Daichi checked his report files as he waited for his cleanup team to arrive, recapping details discovered about this particular adversary. The target's name was Kunimi Akira, a young ghoul found to have ties to one of the most problematic groups of ghouls in Miyagi: Aoba Johsai. Their leader was only known as the Great King, a name the SSS class binge eater had come up with himself to taunt the CCG. Daichi had been following this Kunimi in an attempt to uncover more information about the Great King and Aoba Johsai. Unfortunately, this ghoul was a bit smarter than most, and had caught on to the tailing fairly quickly. Instead of offering any sort of information, he had concluded that death in the name of protecting his 'comrades' was a more suitable option. So there Daichi was, now in this situation with hardly anything of import to show for his efforts. Still, a little something had been gleaned from the excursion, so Daichi didn't have to feel completely defeated.

Soon cleanup arrived, carting the body back to the laboratories located in the deepest part of the Miyagi Branch Headquarters. Daichi drove back in his own federally issued vehicle to send in his report before retiring for the night. It was already past midnight, but Daichi was off the next day, so he really didn't mind the overtime very much. Besides, it was normal – practically expected of him – to take overtime. Spending a few extra hours to ensure the total completion of his mission was nothing new. Chocolate eyes scanned the city as he drove, the nightlife having begun to cool down a little. Even night owls had to sleep sometime. Luckily, nothing dangerous stuck out to him on his way back, and he was able to arrive at the HQ with no trouble. Upon entry to the high tower of a building, Daichi was greeted by a tall, well-built man with long brunet hair pulled back in a tightly wound bun. "Oh, welcome back, Daichi! How'd it go?"

A small sigh, accompanied by the slight scratch of the back of his head, "Hey, Asahi. Eh, not as well as I'd hoped. He caught on to my tailing, and I ended up having to fight him. He died before I could get any useful information from him."

The taller male scratched his cheek with an apologetic look on his simultaneously soft and intimidating face, a signature tendency of his that frequently earned the playful ridicule of Daichi. "Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. It seems that's been the trend with all of our operations concerning Aoba Johsai. They're pretty intelligent and very tough. The fact that you even killed one of them is sort of an amazing feat."

Daichi gave another sigh at that (that was becoming a bad habit, he might need to get that checked out…). "I can't even really take credit for that, either. I fought him and injured him pretty bad, but he was determined to avoid ending up in interrogation, and killed himself."

"He killed himself?" Asahi seemed surprised at that, it was pretty rare for that to happen. Most ghouls they encountered were more insistent on fighting and killing the investigators. "I guess we really are gonna have our work cut out for us then. I don't see things getting any better anytime soon at this rate…"

Daichi shook his head, landing a slap to the taller man's back and effectively earning a startled squeak. "Oh, stop being so melodramatic, you big baby. We'll figure out a way to stop them, we just have to think a bit harder and plan better. Anyway, I have to go turn in my report now, then I'll be heading home. I'll see you around."

Asahi rolled his shoulders, still looking like his back was in actual pain as he gave a small wave while Daichi headed to the elevators. His office space was located on the tenth floor, where an always tiresomely large stack of paperwork waited for him. He greeted a few of the remaining workers and investigators as he headed to his cubicle, settling into his chair and setting his briefcase to the side as he got right to work on typing up his report. He attached the original case files pertaining to the initial details of the assignment before emailing it off to the higher-ups, and the whole process took all of about twenty minutes. Daichi liked to make sure his reports were as detailed as possible, to ensure there was no confusion as to what had taken place. Leaning back in his seat, he stretched his arms over his head, giving a wide yawn as his body told him it was more than ready to head home and bury in the plush sheets that waited for him. So, after ensuring the email sent properly and that there was no important files he needed to go over right then, he shut down his space, stored his paperwork in his file drawer, locked his space up and proceeded back down to his car.

It was a quiet and peaceful drive home, something Daichi was definitely grateful for after the hectic week he's had. Aoba Johsai has really become a problem as of late, and oddly enough, it wasn't just the ease of access to prey caused by summertime madness. The group of highly dangerous ghouls had been more active since the beginning of that year. It was almost as if they were trying to make some statement, and it immediately put the entirety of the CCG on high alert. If Aoba Johsai was on the move, something dark and diabolical must be their goal. How one group could be so well-known, yet nothing at all was known about them was completely baffling to the senior investigator. The Great King had an incredible methodology and knack for strategy, he always seemed to be five steps ahead at all times. Ukai Keishin, the current head of the CCG after his grandfather's passing, made it a point since that year that while they weren't going to turn a blind eye to other ghoul activity in the area, first and foremost priority was to discover what Aoba Johsai was up to and shut it down before anything could come up.

Daichi pulled up to his driveway, shutting the car off and heading into his modest little home. He could think on all of that when he came back to the office, he'd have to meet with Ukai to discuss it anyway. Kicking off his shoes at the door, he uttered a small "I'm home," before heading straight to his bedroom. His evening went as usual, watching the news as he ate reheated take-out (because apparently his parents had never blessed him with the ability to cook). Of course, the main stories ever covered were of the most recent ghoul attacks and interviews with various CCG investigators that news crews just happened to catch about their current efforts on stopping the flesh-eating beasts. It was the same thing every morning, every afternoon, and every night. Still, it was Daichi's duty to keep abreast of these things at all times. The more he was able to discover, the better equipped he'd be for combatting this menace on humanity. Before heading to bed for the night, he checked his phone for any new messages, and one familiar name popped up, causing him to give a soft smile.

 **From: Yamaguchi Hikari, 9:34pm:**

' _Hey, I know this is sudden, but my schedule at the office was just changed and I have to stay late tomorrow. Do you think you could pick Tadashi up from daycare tomorrow? I'll buy you shoyu ramen for lunch!'_

Daichi chuckled, rolling his eyes at the admittedly effective bribe.

 **To: Yamaguchi Hikari, 2:53am:**

' _You drive a hard bargain. Sure, I'll babysit, but you'd better make sure to get me Ikejiri's shoyu ramen!'_

He knew the hardworking single mother wouldn't get the message probably until she left for work later that morning, but it was fine. He was used to going to watch after her five-year-old son when her work schedule caused her overtime and he had time off to do so. Plus, he liked stopping by the daycare, there was this really cute person that worked there, though he never stayed long enough or had the courage to talk much to them apart from the casual greeting and very light chat about Tadashi's behavior and how well he was doing. That probably wouldn't change tomorrow, unfortunately, but Daichi didn't want to come off too strong or anything. Or worse, if said person wasn't into men. Oh no, Daichi wouldn't be able to handle the rejection on those grounds. Still, it was nice to daydream about the possibility. With everything in place for the next day, Daichi finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep, his body too easily falling into complete rest as pleasant dreams drew him in.

Daichi woke modestly late the next morning. For Daichi, 'modestly late' was usually around ten in the morning, given his usual wake-up was closer to five or six. He sat up with sleep still in his half-opened eyes, stretching himself out before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and beginning his typical day-off morning routine. He went out to check his mail and grab the newspaper, switching on the news channel on his television before getting coffee started and a light, easy to make breakfast started. Daichi wasn't a horrible cook (he liked to think), he could at least make toast and simple things. He settled into a chair at his bar counter, unfolding the newspaper to read the latest info and issues while listening to the droning of the most recent ghoul attack on the television. What made him stop midway through a sip of nearly black coffee was the mention of the Great King. He immediately zoned in on the TV, paying acute attention to every small detail given.

 _"Today we have with us another victim of binge attacks, notably orchestrated by the 'Great King' that has been terrorizing our city. Miss, can you tell us any details as to what happened?"_ The news reporter looked a little too eager for this kind of coverage, but of course, the press was always excited to get another 'breaking story' or hit headline. The girl being interviewed, looking no more than sixteen and utterly distraught, trembled as she attempted to describe what she had seen.

 _"I-I… I was coming home from school… My mom and dad had gone out to get some things for our shop…"_ She had to stop and wipe tears that were already streaming down her reddened cheeks, trying and failing to get her sniffling under control. _"They weren't home when I got back, so I… I thought maybe they were just taking a bit longer than normal… But then… I got worried, and I went out to try and find them… and that's when I saw it… The mask… I knew it was the one everyone kept calling the Great King… and my parents…"_

The girl couldn't seem to go on after that, turning away from the camera before it panned back over to the reporter. _"There you have it, folks. This poor girl will be taken into custody with the local CCG branch, and further investigations will be launched in the fight against the greatest foe Miyagi has ever faced…"_

Daichi sat back as the news went on to another topic, frowning deeply into his coffee as he thought over that. 'It must have happened sometime last night… How does he keep evading us so easily…?' Setting the paper down and finishing up his breakfast, he decided stressing over it now wouldn't help solve anything. The incident would no doubt be brought up to the higher levels of investigators, and Daichi would get more information on the case when he came back. The news never covered full details, and something seemed off about this attack. If the girl had seen the ghoul, why didn't he just attack her, as well? It would make sense, to keep her from blabbing any information she might have gotten from the encounter. But the girl seemed completely unscathed. Daichi would definitely have to look into that in better detail when he went back to the offices. He didn't like the feeling he was getting from this.

Nonetheless, with this disturbing bit of news lodged into his to-do list for the following day, he went on with his day off, relaxing a while before hitting the gym for a satisfying workout. Daichi was very serious about his work, and wanted to always be at the top of his game when he had to go out for field work. Thus, his health regimens were always strict and challenging. It was always a wonderful feeling coming off of a good, solid exercise routine, the soreness of his muscles proof to himself that he did well. After a nice shower, change, and a quick lunch at a nearby café, Daichi was off to Sunny Days Daycare to pick up his favorite 'nephew'. While he wasn't related by blood or anything to Hikari, they had been close friends for a long time, to the point where they aptly viewed each other like siblings. As a result, Tadashi generally always referred to his mother's friend as 'Uncle Daichi-san'. It was cute, and Daichi easily let it stick as a permanent thing.

Daichi pulled up to the daycare and parked, hopping out of the car as small butterflies started fluttering in his chest. He wondered if that cute daycare worker was there today. Since it was the end of the day, he was sure the workers would want to go home soon, but he hoped maybe he could try to talk to the one who'd caught his eye a little today. He walked in, noting the standard silence that usually came with 'end of the day nap time'. Most of the kids looked to have been picked up by their parents, only a few left sleeping peacefully on their nap blankets. The only ones left were Tadashi, his best friend Tsukishima, and the little troublemaker Tanaka. Daichi greeted the clerk, who had no qualms releasing Tadashi to the dark brunet since he was such a familiar face here. The clerk bowed as she went to go let the current caregiver know Daichi was there for the small Yamaguchi.

As soon as he saw that head of ashen hair, mussed with cowlicks everywhere that looked incredibly cute, and those honey brown eyes that he honestly could drown in forever, Daichi's stomach did uncomfortable flips of excitement. Holding the daycare worker's hand was the child he had come to retrieve, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he seemed to try to get a grip of his surroundings. As soon as big emerald eyes landed on Daichi, the boy rushed over to hug at Daichi's leg, causing the taller male to chuckle fondly as he picked the child up. "Uncle Daichi-san!"

"Hey there, kiddo," he greeted with a laugh, ruffling the boy's already messy dark hair as he settled him in one arm. "You been a good boy today? Mommy was a little busy, so Uncle Dai came to get you."

Daichi looked to the man that had brought Tadashi out, offering a smile of gratitude as he willed forth the courage to speak and keep his voice level. "Ah, thanks for taking care of him. I'm guessing he spent the day playing with Tsukishima, hm?"

The ashen-haired beauty laughed softly, a sound that melted Daichi's heart on the spot. "Hehe, yeah. Those two really are like two peas in a pod, one is hardly ever seen without the other." He scratched the side of his cheek slightly, just under the adorable little beauty mark beneath his left eye. "Well, I'll leave him in your care now. You two take care on the way home, alright? I'll see you tomorrow, Yamaguchi-kun."

Tadashi waved as Daichi gave a nod of appreciation before leaving, cursing himself for not being able to strike up a conversation of some sort. He really needed to step up his game if he was going to even have a chance and wooing his honey-eyed beauty. Every (failed) attempt at flirty usually ended up as a few words exchanged about how Tadashi was doing before things fell into an awkward silence and they went their separate ways. At this rate, Daichi was going to forever be stuck in the 'not-even-friends zone'. Tadashi hugged onto Daichi, smiling excitedly like every time he got to see his favorite 'Uncle', and only one at that. "Suga-san is so much fun, Uncle Dai! He read us stories, and we got to paint and go to the playground!"

Daichi smiled, 'Suga' seemed to be a really fitting name for the daycare worker, though he had no idea what his full name was. 'Suga' didn't sound like a full last name, so his had to be short for something. Still, Daichi snapped himself out of his thoughts on that subject, focusing his attention on his adorable nephew. "Really? That does sound like a lot of fun. What was the story he read to you all this time?"

Tadashi seemed to think on that a moment, trying to remember what the story was about. "Oh yeah! It was about a prince saving a princess from a mean dragon! But it turned out the dragon wasn't mean, he just wanted to keep the princess safe from bad guys! It had a good ending! Oh, and Yaku-san brought snacks for everyone today! They were super yummy!"

Daichi smiled fondly as the boy told him all about his day at daycare while he buckled the child in his car seat in the back. He drove them back to Tadashi's house, Daichi having a spare key to get in. He always loved seeing his non-blood related nephew, the child really was a bright ray of light in his usually dark and blood-stained life. He was very smart for his age, but was incredibly shy, so he didn't make friends very often. However, there was one kid at the daycare that Tadashi had quickly grown inseparable from: Tsukishima. The tall blonde child had defended Tadashi from some bullies apparently, and ever since then, they had been best friends. They often had play dates and would spend the night at each other's homes, and it made both Daichi and Hikari feel a lot better knowing the boy had someone to play with and hang around while they weren't there.

Daichi and Tadashi played together, watched TV, and pillaged the cabinets for snacks as they waited for the boy's mother to return home. It wasn't until about ten in the evening, when the boy had already been put to bed that Hikari returned home, looking worn out but happy. "Hey, Dai! He didn't give you any trouble, did he?" She asked as she set her file case down on the counter and went to the fridge for a drink. Daichi rose from his relaxed spot on the couch, walking over to lean his elbows on the counter.

"Is he ever really any trouble? He's got to be the best-behaved kid on the planet." The mother laughed, shaking her head as she poured a small glass of what looked like light alcohol. Daichi raised a brow at that curiously, smirking playfully. "That rough a day, huh? You usually don't break that out unless it's been really crazy."

The woman took a liberal sip of her drink, reaching back to let down the neatly done bun her long, dark hair had been pinned up in. "Yeah, this new lawsuit I'm handling hasn't been going all that easily. The client I'm working with doesn't seem to have all his evidence and testimonies in order, and so I'm stuck trying to piece together this mess he's brought forth and form a plausible case against the company he's suing. It's just one stupid puzzle after another, especially because his claim is actually pretty dumb and petty. I'm trying my best to help him win, but I don't see this case going anywhere any time soon."

Daichi shook his head, going to pour himself a glass of the alcohol as well before taking a refreshing gulp of the slightly bitter liquid. "Ahh… Yeah, that sounds like a pretty tough one. But I'm sure you'll figure it out, you've had much worse cases before. Remember that one with the guy who wanted ten million because the dry cleaner he went to had a sign that said, 'we guarantee satisfaction'?"

Hikari laughed, shaking her head, "Oh yeah! And his claim was that the sign was false advertising and a bold faced lie because there was a small marker stain they couldn't get out of his shirt? Oh boy, I nearly lost my shit on that guy, he was so ridiculous!"

Daichi stood up, trying to imitate the voice he could imagine the man had while making his claim. "I _demand_ ten million for fabrication of sales guarantees, lying to customers, and most importantly, the _emotional trauma_ experienced from the loss of my high quality, very expensive shirt… that came from the thrift store for twenty bucks!" Both broke into a fit of laughter at that, having to cover their mouths so as not to wake the sleeping child in the house. It took a good few minutes for them to calm down, given the first three tries they glanced at each other and fell into a laughing fit again. Daichi wiped the water from his eyes from laughing so hard, a silly grin plastered on his face as he took another drink. "Oh, that was rich. But seriously, if you could handle that case, you can handle this one. Just keep thinking, 'this could be like that case', and I'm sure you'll do fine."

The lawyer grinned equally over her cup, nodding with a sigh. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, so, enough about me! Tell me, have you made any progress yet with this cute daycare guy you've been gushing about?" Daichi's cheeks and ears turned a decent shade of red at the nosy smirk on his friend's face, glancing away as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I do _not_ gush! And no, I… it was just the same stuff as last time. I barely talked to him at all." The woman gave a cheeky snicker at that, making Daichi feel a bit flustered over the whole ordeal. "You don't understand! How do you even talk to someone who looks so _perfect_ all the time? I'm terrified I'll say something dumb, and he'll get weirded out or something. I mean, what if he's not even _into guys_? I don't want to risk saying anything that'll make him feel awkward every time I go to pick Tadashi up!"

Hikari patiently listened to her friend's worries, shaking her head once he'd finished. "I think you're overthinking things. He's a really sweet guy, so even if you say something stupid, he's the kind of guy to just wave it off. And regardless, you're not gonna get anywhere with him if you keep getting worked up over pointless things! If you really want a shot, you need to suck it up and just ask him to go to dinner or something! I'm sure even if he's not into guys, he'll at least be kind enough to have dinner and properly tell you. But you can't keep worrying over something that hasn't even happened yet."

Daichi sighed, letting his head rest on the counter as he swirled the drink in his cup lightly. "Mmm, maybe. I dunno, I just… I don't want to mess it up if I _do_ make a move. He hasn't even seemed all that interested in me, though."

Hikari rolled her eyes, setting her now empty cup in the sink and going to the grocery bag she'd also brought home with her. "You're hopeless, Daichi. Really, this is why you're love life is so lacking. You worry too much, and you bury yourself in work too much. I wouldn't be surprised if you sprout grey hairs within the next year." She passed the bag to Daichi, who curiously looked inside. "There, I stopped by Ikejiri's place before coming home. I did promise you shoyu ramen."

Daichi smiled, his other childhood friend, Ikejiri, owned his own little restaurant that specialized in ramen and deserts. His philosophy was always completely natural and fresh ingredients, and Daichi had come to love any and everything that came from that restaurant. But his favorite was always the shoyu ramen, nothing could compare to the flavorful bliss he experienced when he got to have his guilty pleasure. "Thanks, Hikari. …Hey! I'm not going to grow grey hairs!" The woman simply chuckled, checking the time.

"Well, you should probably be getting on home now, don't you have work tomorrow morning?" Daichi checked the time as well, realizing it was getting late, and it'd probably be a good idea to get as much sleep as possible before the incredibly busy day he expected the next day.

"Yeah, true. I haven't been late to work yet, I don't want to start now." He finished off his drink, setting the cup in the sink and taking the bag with the ramen in it before heading to the door. "Well, I'll see you later. Tell Tadashi I'll take him for ice cream next time I see him." He waved as he left, getting into his car and driving home for the night. Once again his drive home was quiet and peaceful, and his evening routine went smoothly as usual.

As he lay in bed that night, he thought over what Hikari had told him. Maybe he should just suck up his worries and ask the ashen-haired daycare worker out. Really, the worst thing that could happen is he say no. And even then, it's not like it'd be the end of the world. Yeah, maybe a blow to Daichi's confidence and pride, but nothing he couldn't recover from. After all, there were plenty of fish in the sea. Oh well, there was no point staying awake all night over it. He had a busy day ahead of him, and he needed all the sleep he could get. He'd worry about all of that later, but for now, it was time for him to rest.

The next morning went as usual, he woke, got ready, made breakfast, switched on the news and went to get his mail and the newspaper. What wasn't normal, however, was someone else's mail being mixed in with his. He raised a brow, this was new. Probably a new mail driver, he'd never had someone else's mail accidentally put in his box before. 'Oh well, better see who it belongs to and return it to them, it might be important.' As he went inside and checked the name and address of the mail in question, he came to a complete stop, having to read over the name a second time to make sure he wasn't imagining things. 'Sugawara Koushi… Sugawara… Suga…' Could it be? Could that name be the full name of the man he'd been crushing on? And this person lived nearby in his neighborhood? No, no, this all had to be some misunderstood coincidence. There was no way it was the same person. Suga could be short for lots of different names. Daichi was just being weirdly hopeful. Still, it was worth investigation.

After making sure he was ready for work and packing his coat and briefcase in his car, he decided to drive over to this person's house and deliver their mail to them personally. He would just put it in their mailbox, but he didn't want to be mistaken for one of those creeps that steals from other people's boxes. He'd rather hand it to them in person and tell them it got mixed up to avoid any misunderstandings. So there he was, on the opposite side of his neighborhood at a nice little house tucked into a corner surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. He stopped on the curb next to the person's driveway, a car parked to let him know whomever lived here was home. Daichi hopped out of his own car and walked up to the door, his heart oddly beating a bit faster the closer he got. He had no reason to be nervous, but for some reason, his mind was telling him something was going to happen.

He rang the doorbell, standing straight and waiting patiently for the home's occupant (or occupants) to answer. He barely heard a muffled, "Coming!" from inside the house, and after a couple more minutes, the door unlocked and cracked open slowly. "Hello? Can I help you?"

Daichi was completely floored, the words he'd been ready to speak dying in his throat as a very familiar face peered from the small space between the door and the doorframe. Ashen locks, looking a bit messier than before, honey eyes that appeared to have just woken up not too long ago, and a gentle voice still a bit rough from obvious sleep greeted Daichi, and it took Daichi a long moment to recompose himself from the more than pleasant surprise. After a bit, he realized he had been staring, judging by the quirked brow aimed at him from the daycare worker. "Um…did you need something…?"

Daichi snapped out of his daze, shaking his head before giving a slight cough. "Ahem…er, sorry about that. I just didn't expect to see you here… Um, well, see, I was checking my mail today, and happened to notice a piece of your mail had been placed in my box. I wanted to make sure it got to you, since I wasn't sure if it was important or something." He then offered the mail up, to which the sleepy looking daycare worker opened the door wider to accept. He looked it over, gasping a bit before giving a grateful smile to Daichi.

"Oh, thank you! This actually was very important, I appreciate you bringing it to me! And I apologize for the inconvenience. I just recently moved in here, and I guess they just recently got a new mail person coincidentally at the same time, so my mail seems to keep ending up all over the place." The male shyly tucked a piece of fly away hair behind his ear, seeming to realize how he looked and attempted to straighten his shirt and pat down his hair. "You're… the one who comes to pick Yamaguchi-kun up sometimes, right? I had no idea you lived in this neighborhood."

Daichi gave a small chuckle, thinking it was cute how the man seemed to be trying to make himself look a bit more presentable. "Ah, it's no problem at all! I definitely understand the struggle, it takes a bit for them to get your mailbox right." He grew a little more confident when Sugawara seemed to remember who he was. "Ah, yes, I am. Sawamura Daichi. Heh, yeah, and I had no idea you lived here either. Small world, huh?" They both shared a small little laugh, Daichi's heart flipping at the way Suga's eyes seemed to crinkle a bit at the edges from his smile. This man was just too beautiful for words. After a moment of silence, Suga seemed to be ready to go back inside, starting to say goodbye before Daichi spoke too quickly for his mind to register.

"Um! Do you… I mean, if you're free this weekend or something… I was wondering if maybe… um… Could I take you out to dinner sometime?" Daichi only realized what he'd just asked when he saw the surprised look on Suga's face that quickly dusted over with a soft blush as he glanced away. Daichi began to regret that immediately, worried he'd been too forward. He didn't even know where that'd come from! What on earth possessed him to blurt that out so suddenly like that? Either way, it was all over now. Suga would reject his offer, and that would be the end of that. The answer he was expecting was, even more surprisingly, not the answer he received.

"…S-Sure! I'd… I'd love to. This weekend I have off so… I guess, maybe around eight on Saturday…? If that's fine with you, that is…" Daichi blinked at the daycare worker, whose blush simply spread down to his neck and up to the tips of his ears. 'Cute…' He had to snap out of his shock, seeing as the other was waiting for a confirmation.

"U-Uh, yeah! Yeah, that sounds great! Eight o'clock this Saturday! I'll come pick you up if you want, I know a really great place downtown!" Daichi's veins were pumping with excitement, was this actually happening? Did Sugawara Koushi just accept an offer to dinner with Daichi that Saturday?

"That sounds fine. Um… so I'll see you then…?" Came the gentle reply of the ashen-haired man, and Daichi felt his heart swoon.

"Sure! Yeah, I'll… I'll see you then!" He bowed quickly, a bit lower than he probably needed to, before turning and heading back to his car. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine, his body feeling light as air as he got into his car and headed to work. He'd just scored a date with the most beautiful man on earth! What had he been so worried about? Maybe it was Hikari's advice from that night that kicked in. Either way, he was incredibly happy. He would take Suga to Ikejiri's restaurant, it was the perfect place for a first dinner date. The restaurant wasn't too incredibly far, and it was a quaint little place with amazing food. It was absolutely perfect. He couldn't wait to tell Hikari of his success, and he had to let Ikejiri know as well so that he could help him set up a romantic atmosphere. Daichi went to work that day in the best mood of his life.

* * *

 _Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out the first chapter of "The Price of Our Love"! I got this idea based off of another story I'd read that had merged the Haikyuu! cast with the Tokyo Ghoul universe (the storyline had been completely different, however!), and the plot had developed from a roleplay I had been doing based on this idea. So, of course, I can't take completely full credit for this, but partial credit for the plot line and initial concept. Anyway, I've been transcribing that roleplay into a fully fledged story, and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it! The next chapter should be up in about a week, so keep your eyes peeled! Please leave feedback and reviews so I know how I'm doing! See you in the next chapter!_

~ _Ashe Xander_ ~


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